[Linux-ia64] Serial console during linux boot

[Linux-ia64] Serial console during linux boot

[Einar Saltnes]

Hi all,

I'm using the RedHat 7.0 ia64 beta distro (13 Dec 2000) on a couple of
Dual B1-stepping BigSurs. BIOS 84.

I am trying to get the linux boot messages/output over the serial port
as I want to operate it remotely by using a serial console switch +
power switch.

Using getty seems to work OK on different serial port speed settings as
does on common x86 machines.
Directing standard output, standard input and standard error to serial
port in EFIs Boot Option Maintenance Boot Menu with speed 115200, seems
to work OK from power on up to start of linux kernel load. BTW, is it
possible to adjust the serial port speed at this level to e.g. 9600 or
19200?

When ELI starts to load the linux kernel, I am not able to get any
output on the serial console. I have tried with the line

append="console=ttyS0,9600n8"

in the beginning of /boot/efi/eli.cfg. (Console switch port speed also
set to 9600)

In the eli README file is says that append commands are implemented, but
serial is not listed as a valid command.
Is there some way I can direct the linux load-/boot-messages on my
current machines?

Thank you!

Best regards
Einar Saltnes
-- 
| Einar Saltnes          |         Scali AS         |
| mailto:eisa@scali.no   |   http://www.scali.com   |
| Phone:+47 22 62 89 50  |  Scalable Linux Systems  |
| Fax  :+47 22 62 89 51  |      and Technology      |

Re: [Linux-ia64] Serial console during linux boot

[Stephane Eranian]

Hi,

> possible to adjust the serial port speed at this level to e.g. 9600 or
> 19200?
> 
Not sure about that.

> When ELI starts to load the linux kernel, I am not able to get any
> output on the serial console. I have tried with the line
> 
> append="console=ttyS0,9600n8"
> 
> in the beginning of /boot/efi/eli.cfg. (Console switch port speed also
> set to 9600)
> 
> In the eli README file is says that append commands are implemented, but
> serial is not listed as a valid command.

ELI does not work like the PC LILO. The control over ELI displaying
on the serial is done by EFI. So for ELI to handle the serial, this would
mean for it to talk to EFI to switch the console. While possible, this 
feature is clearly not implemented today (at least as far as I know).

Also note that the serial command has NOTHING to do with the console= option
to the kernel. One controls where ELI/LILO would print ITS messages whereas
the latter controls where the kernel console output is directed.

I have the impression you're after the kernel messages.

Have you tried to pass the console="" on the command line of ELI rather than
in the configuration file. If you do so PLEASE KEEP THE double quotes as follows:

	fs0:\> eli vmlinux console="ttyS0,9600n8"

We have seen some strange behavior from the EFI shell with regards to 
parsing the command line.

Alternatively, you may want to try the LILO for IA-64 part of the gnu-efi
package (ftp://ftp.hpl.hp.com/pub/linux-ia64). That is the one I used 
everyday and I know that the redirection of the kernel console works just
fine. This would give you a comparison point to try and narrow down your
problem.

Regards,

-- 
-Stephane

Re: [Linux-ia64] Serial console during linux boot

[Andreas Schwab]

Einar Saltnes <eisa@scali.no> writes:

|> When ELI starts to load the linux kernel, I am not able to get any
|> output on the serial console. I have tried with the line
|> 
|> append="console=ttyS0,9600n8"
|> 
|> in the beginning of /boot/efi/eli.cfg. (Console switch port speed also
|> set to 9600)

One of our machines is running with a serial console without problems (but
I'm using 115200 baud).

Andreas.

-- 
Andreas Schwab                                  "And now for something
SuSE Labs                                        completely different."
Andreas.Schwab@suse.de
SuSE GmbH, Schanzäckerstr. 10, D-90443 Nürnberg

Re: [Linux-ia64] Serial console during linux boot

[Einar Saltnes]

Hi again,

Stephane Eranian wrote:
> 
> Also note that the serial command has NOTHING to do with the console= option
> to the kernel. One controls where ELI/LILO would print ITS messages whereas
> the latter controls where the kernel console output is directed.
> 
> I have the impression you're after the kernel messages.
> 
Yes, I guess that is the correct terms of it.

> Alternatively, you may want to try the LILO for IA-64 part of the gnu-efi
> package (ftp://ftp.hpl.hp.com/pub/linux-ia64). That is the one I used
> everyday and I know that the redirection of the kernel console works just
> fine. This would give you a comparison point to try and narrow down your
> problem.
> 

I switched to lilo as you suggested. I also switched to 115200 baud all
the way on the serial port (activated std output and std input on the
serial port from the Boot Option Maintenance Menu and getty in the
/etc/inittab file).
I wasn't aware that the kernel supported Higher baud rates than 9600 or
19200.

However, I still have problems with the kernel messages on the serial
console during linux start up.

Here is how my startup.nsh file look:

: eisa@scali9-13:eisa; cat /boot/efi/startup.nsh
lilo -a -i initrd-2.4.0-0.43smp.img vmlinux-2.4.0-0.43smp root=/dev/sda2
console=ttyS0,115200n8

This would give no kernel messages on the serial console and it would
not give kernel messages on local monitor (tty) either. The last line
printed on the serial console before login prompt was:

_PRT is missing package.

This is similar to the output below.

I also tried with the following startup.nsh file:

: eisa@scali9-13:eisa; cat /boot/efi/startup.nsh
lilo -a -i initrd-2.4.0-0.43smp.img vmlinux-2.4.0-0.43smp root=/dev/sda2
console=tty console=ttyS0,115200n8

This time I got the kernel messages on the local monitor (tty), but
still no messages on the serial console.
Here is the output from the serial console. After this output there will
not be printed any messages before the login prompt appears.

+startup.nsh> lilo -a -i initrd-2.4.0-0.43smp.img vmlinux-2.4.0-0.43smp
root=/dev/sda2 console=tty console=ttyS0 115200n8 
LILO for EFI/IA-64 1.1
lilo: ignoring trailing 108 characters on command line
kernel     is  'vmlinux-2.4.0-0.43smp'
arguments  are 'root=/dev/sda2 console=tty console=ttyS0 115200n8'
Press ENTER to continue or ANY other key to cancel
vmlinux-2.4.0-0.43smp autoboot in   0 seconds
Booting 'vmlinux-2.4.0-0.43smp' with args='root=/dev/sda2 console=tty
console=ttyS0 115200n8'
Press any key to interrupt
Loading kernel Done
Loading initrd Done
Starting kernel at 0xE000000000520000
final arguments  are 'BOOT_IMAGE=vmlinux-2.4.0-0.43smp root=/dev/sda2
console=tty console=ttyS0 115200n8'
acpi_get_vectors
origin = 000000003F0B0E88
bus = 0
_PRT is missing package


I use the "out of box" RedHat 7.0 smp kernel from the Dec 13 2000 beta
distro.

I have tried to grep for the "_PRT is missing package" but it didn't
help much so far. I will continue to dig into the kernel code.

What am I missing to get this up and running?

BTW, how am I supposed to enter commands in the EFI shell which is
longer than the width of the screen? It doesn't seem to wrap in any way.

Thanks in advance for any help,

Einar
-- 
| Einar Saltnes          |         Scali AS         |
| mailto:eisa@scali.no   |   http://www.scali.com   |
| Phone:+47 22 62 89 50  |  Scalable Linux Systems  |
| Fax  :+47 22 62 89 51  |      and Technology      |

Re: [Linux-ia64] Serial console during linux boot

[Stephane Eranian]

Hi,
> 
> : eisa@scali9-13:eisa; cat /boot/efi/startup.nsh
> lilo -a -i initrd-2.4.0-0.43smp.img vmlinux-2.4.0-0.43smp root=/dev/sda2
> console=ttyS0,115200n8
> 
You are missing the quotes around the console= command.

> 
> : eisa@scali9-13:eisa; cat /boot/efi/startup.nsh
> lilo -a -i initrd-2.4.0-0.43smp.img vmlinux-2.4.0-0.43smp root=/dev/sda2
> console=tty console=ttyS0,115200n8
> 
You are missing the quotes around the console= command here also.
Here is the valid command:

lilo -a -i initrd-2.4.0-0.43smp.img vmlinux-2.4.0-0.43smp root=/dev/sda2
console=tty0 console="ttyS0,115200n8"

> root=/dev/sda2 console=tty console=ttyS0 115200n8 
> LILO for EFI/IA-64 1.1
> lilo: ignoring trailing 108 characters on command line
> kernel     is  'vmlinux-2.4.0-0.43smp'
> arguments  are 'root=/dev/sda2 console=tty console=ttyS0 115200n8'
                                                     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You see here that without quotes, the comma is dropped and the kernel simply
ignores the option. That's why you don't see anything.

> 
> I use the "out of box" RedHat 7.0 smp kernel from the Dec 13 2000 beta
> distro.
> 
> I have tried to grep for the "_PRT is missing package" but it didn't
Because this is a composite message coming from the ACPI code.

Hope this fixes it this time !

-- 
-Stephane

Re: [Linux-ia64] Serial console during linux boot

[Einar Saltnes]

Stephane Eranian wrote:
> 
> You are missing the quotes around the console= command here also.
> Here is the valid command:
> 
> lilo -a -i initrd-2.4.0-0.43smp.img vmlinux-2.4.0-0.43smp root=/dev/sda2
> console=tty0 console="ttyS0,115200n8"
> 
> Hope this fixes it this time !
> 
Thanks!
The quotes made the trick!
Now I get the kernel messages on both the local monitor and on the
serial console at the same time! Great!

Mike Sklar wrote:
>
> last I checked with a 2.4.0-test10 kernel on ia64 I was using only
> ttyS0,115200 and getting kernel startup messages. No 'n8' included, but
> perhaps that doesn't matter at all. You might want to try checkout redhats
> 1/31/01 release, I've found it to be of much higher quality than the
> december beta which I quickly stopped using.
>
Thanks for the advice! I will download the newer "Fisher" distro and
check it out soon.

-
Einar
-- 
| Einar Saltnes          |         Scali AS         |
| mailto:eisa@scali.no   |   http://www.scali.com   |
| Phone:+47 22 62 89 50  |  Scalable Linux Systems  |
| Fax  :+47 22 62 89 51  |      and Technology      |